Location Amsterdam
Job-type Permanent
Salary €Competitive
Reference 17386

Are you driven by making positive tangible difference both environmentally and on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers?

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) is seeking a Programme Manager to lead the Farm Programme, one of OCA's primary programmes in continuous improvement and stakeholder management.

About the Organic Cotton Accelerator

The Organic Cotton Accelerator is a multi-stakeholder organisation dedicated to organic cotton. Since its establishment in 2016, with founding partners Laudes Foundation, H&M, Kering, Eileen Fisher, Textile Exchange, Tchibo, Inditex and C&A. OCA has been committed to convening the sector around a common agenda and using its platform's collective investments to act as a catalyst for change. Investment in OCA programmes drives critical innovation, improves (smallholder) farmer profitability and prosperity, contributes to social and environmental sustainability, and ultimately bolsters the health and transparency of the organic cotton sector to the benefit of people and the planet alike.

As a Programme Manager - Farm Impact:

You will manage three key pillars of OCA's flagship "Farm Programme" which are Monitoring Evaluation and Learning, Continuous Improvement, and Farm Programme Operations. You will be coordinating and aligning your work with internal and external stakeholders while working closely with overseas colleagues on the ground in India and Pakistan.

You will also be reporting directly to the Programme Director based in Amsterdam and managing the Programme Officer - Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL).

Key Responsibilities

The Programme Manager - Farm Impact will be involved in the following areas:

OCA Farm Programme, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

  • Maintain, benchmark and update OCA validation guidelines and sampling methodology.

  • Line manage Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) officer.

  • Ensure OCA's data quality remains robust and expands into social and environmental impact. Work closely with the data management team to standardize data-gathering tools and methodology.

  • Implement Pilots such as traceability tools and digital verification solutions.

  • Work with external stakeholders and internal programme teams to drive and assist data-related issues and own and support the data infrastructure needs.

  • Be the coordinator who maintains timelines for all stakeholders in the programmes team.

Process and Programme Reporting:

  • Guide, write, and present quarterly and annual farm programme reporting.

  • Evaluate annual reporting. Identifying and developing improvement areas.

  • Develop reporting tools with the data team and consultants.

  • Conduct multi-year analysis and report.

  • Develop a methodology to connect Farm level Impact reporting with Chain of Custody and Traceability innovation systems.

Continuous Improvement;

  • Using organic farming certification standards as a baseline, drive OCA's Continuous Improvement cycle through M&E data, audits, improvement plans, and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

  • Manage relationships with Third Party Validators.

Farm Programme operations;

  • Maintain Global Project Overview.

  • Manage data collection, third-party validation agencies and Implementation (Farm) Partner relationships.

Project Management

  • Manage consultants and stakeholders in Programme Development and Impact centric projects.

  • Work with the leadership team to review the priorities and effectiveness of impact systems. Support and develop Pilots to provide learnings prior to rolling out Evaluation process Training programmes and or Monitoring and Evaluation guidelines to the programmes team.

Qualifications

  • Relevant degree or demonstrated work experience in Sustainability, International Development, Agriculture or Social Sciences.

  • Proven experience similar to at least 5 years in Managing, Monitoring and Reporting Impact in (Certified) Agro Cropping Systems.

  • Strong knowledge of best practices in voluntary certification and sustainability systems.

  • Multi-disciplined, strong communication skills, and comfortable with handling communication with external stakeholders and multistakeholder groups.

  • Project management expertise and worked collaboratively with external stakeholders and consultants.

  • Experience guiding and working with evaluation and auditing third parties.

  • Experience using and providing consultation on data tools. Strong experience drawing insights from data and working with tools such as Power BI and Excel.

  • International experience is desirable with experience working in/with multi-cultural communities.

  • An affinity for the textile and agronomy field.

Please note that this position would require you to be based in Amsterdam and is able to work in the Netherlands without the need for visa sponsorship.

If you've realised this is the opportunity for you in 2023 to bring significant social and environmental impact or would like to know more, please apply directly.

If you have any questions, please contact Thaddeus Tan at thaddeus.tan@acre.com to enquire further.

Only applications through our website/link will be considered.